7,079 research outputs found
Immobilized photosensitizers for antimicrobial applications
Photodynamic antimicrobial chemotherapy (PACT) is a very promising alternative to conventional antibiotics for the efficient inactivation of pathogenic microorganisms; this is due to the fact that it is virtually impossible for resistant strains to develop due to the mode of action employed. PACT employs a photosensitizer, which preferentially associates with the microorganism, and is then activated with non-thermal visible light of appropriate wavelength(s) to generate high localized concentrations of reactive oxygen species (ROS), inactivating the microorganism. The concept of using photosensitizers immobilized on a surface for this purpose is intended to address a range of economic, ecological and public health issues. Photosensitising molecules that have been immobilized on solid support for PACT applications are described herein. Different supports have been analyzed as well as the target microorganism and the effectiveness of particular combinations of support and photosensitiser
Canister closing device Patent
Design and characteristics of device for closing canisters under high vacuum condition
Providing mental health support in schools
This is the author accepted manuscript. The final version is available from the British Psychological Society via the link in this recor
How to deliver the mental health services that young people desperately need
This is the final version of the article. Available from The Conversation Trust (UK) Limited via the link in this record.Life’s complexities can be magnified in school. Pressures to conform to the norm, pass exams well, be socially accepted and have a strong social media following are just a few of the difficulties that children and young people face every day.The Conversation UK receives funding from Hefce, Hefcw, SAGE, SFC, RCUK, The Nuffield Foundation, The Ogden Trust, The Royal Society, The Wellcome Trust, Esmée Fairbairn Foundation and The Alliance for Useful Evidence, as well as sixty five university members.University of Exeter provides funding as a member of The Conversation UK
Hadronic contribution to the muon g-2: a theoretical determination
The leading order hadronic contribution to the muon g-2, , is
determined entirely from theory using an approach based on Cauchy's theorem in
the complex squared energy s-plane. This is possible after fitting the
integration kernel in with a simpler function of . The
integral determining in the light-quark region is then split
into a low energy and a high energy part, the latter given by perturbative QCD
(PQCD). The low energy integral involving the fit function to the integration
kernel is determined by derivatives of the vector correlator at the origin,
plus a contour integral around a circle calculable in PQCD. These derivatives
are calculated using hadronic models in the light-quark sector. A similar
procedure is used in the heavy-quark sector, except that now everything is
calculable in PQCD, thus becoming the first entirely theoretical calculation of
this contribution. Using the dual resonance model realization of Large
QCD to compute the derivatives of the correlator leads to agreement with the
experimental value of . Accuracy, though, is currently limited by the
model dependent calculation of derivatives of the vector correlator at the
origin. Future improvements should come from more accurate chiral perturbation
theory and/or lattice QCD information on these derivatives, allowing for this
method to be used to determine accurately entirely from theory,
independently of any hadronic model.Comment: Several additional clarifying paragraphs have been added. 1/N_c
corrections have been estimated. No change in result
Pulsar timing arrays as imaging gravitational wave telescopes: angular resolution and source (de)confusion
Pulsar timing arrays (PTAs) will be sensitive to a finite number of
gravitational wave (GW) "point" sources (e.g. supermassive black hole
binaries). N quiet pulsars with accurately known distances d_{pulsar} can
characterize up to 2N/7 distant chirping sources per frequency bin \Delta
f_{gw}=1/T, and localize them with "diffraction limited" precision \delta\theta
\gtrsim (1/SNR)(\lambda_{gw}/d_{pulsar}). Even if the pulsar distances are
poorly known, a PTA with F frequency bins can still characterize up to
(2N/7)[1-(1/2F)] sources per bin, and the quasi-singular pattern of timing
residuals in the vicinity of a GW source still allows the source to be
localized quasi-topologically within roughly the smallest quadrilateral of
quiet pulsars that encircles it on the sky, down to a limiting resolution
\delta\theta \gtrsim (1/SNR) \sqrt{\lambda_{gw}/d_{pulsar}}. PTAs may be
unconfused, even at the lowest frequencies, with matched filtering always
appropriate.Comment: 7 pages, 1 figure, matches Phys.Rev.D versio
Alcohol Abstinence or Harm-Reduction? Parental Messages for College-Bound Light Drinkers
Parental communications about alcohol can have a significant impact on college students’ alcohol use; however, it is unclear what types of communication may be most beneficial for reducing alcohol risk, particularly among students who have already initiated alcohol use. The present research examines differences in alcohol use and employment of drinking protective behavioral strategies between pre-college matriculation high school seniors receiving predominantly abstinence parent messaging and students primarily receiving harm-reduction parent messaging. Students who identified as light drinkers were recruited during their last month in high school and completed an online assessment of alcohol use and parent alcohol communication. Analyses revealed that, in comparison to light drinkers who primarily received harm-reduction messaging from parents, light drinkers who received more abstinence messaging reported less frequent alcohol use, lower peak alcohol consumption, and greater use of protective drinking strategies aimed at changing the way they drank and avoiding serious hazards associated with drinking. Findings from this study underscore the utility of messages related to abstinence even for parents aware that their children have had previous experiences with alcohol and highlights the need for longitudinal research assessing additional mechanisms associated with message efficacy among light, moderate and heavy drinking students transitioning to college
Labelling and Diagnosis
This is the author accepted manuscript. The final version is available from the British Psychological SocietyGuest editoria
Heavy episodic drinking is associated with poorer bone health in adolescent and young adult women
Objective: Osteoporosis is a costly bone disease characterized by low bone mineral density (BMD) that primarily affects postmenopausal women. One factor that may lead to osteoporosis is a failure to reach peak bone mass (PBM) in early adulthood. In older adults and animal models, heavy episodic drinking (HED) has been found to predict failure to reach PBM. However, this relationship has yet to be investigated in adolescent human females. Method: Female college students (N = 87; 60% White) reported age at menarche, hormonal contraceptive use, physical activity, smoking habits, and HED history via an online survey and then received a dual energy x-ray absorptiometry bone scan to assess both lean body mass and BMD at the lumbar spine. Results: Frequent HED (having four or more drinks within 2 hours on 115 or more occasions since the start of high school, which is approxi mately equal to 1.6 episodes per month over this period) was associated with decreased vertebral BMD even when variables most commonly associated with bone health (lean body mass, physical activity, age at menarche, smoking, and oral contraception use) were controlled for. However, early HED initiation (beginning HED at age 15 years or younger) was not significantly related to BMD. Conclusions: This is the first study to assess the impacts of early HED initiation and frequent HED during adolescence on the bone health of young women. Results suggest frequency of HED before reaching PBM, but not age at initiation, may be negatively related to skeletal health during young adulthood. These findings encourage research into the association between HED and BMD in late adolescence
Limb radiance inversion radiometer
Engineering and scientific objectives of the LRIR experiment are described along with system requirements, subassemblies, and experiment operation. The mechanical, electrical, and thermal interfaces between the LRIR experiment and the Nimbus F spacecraft are defined. The protoflight model qualification and acceptance test program is summarized. Test data is presented in tables to give an overall view of each test parameter and possible trends of the performance of the LRIR experiment. Conclusions and recommendations are included
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